Maya
by Gina Jade
Summary: Zuko has lost his Fire Lady and reflects with his son on the day she had disappeared from his life. As nightfall descends, Zuko finds something that he thought he would never be faced with again.
1. Chapter 1

God, this is a pain in the ass. There are three parts to this story and I still haven't done part 3. Erika's (IFeltHope44) been bugging me about it for months. Lmao I'll try and finish it!

Review please! 3

-Scarlett

"Alright. We've come to an agreement. This meeting has now ended. Good day and may Agni look upon you with good fortune." Fire Lord Zuko watched from his Dao as his most trusted advisers left the throne room. He sighed as he extinguished the small wall of fire surrounding his throne. Every part of him was a facade now. He was no longer the man he used to be ever since the tragic day over a year ago.

The day his Fire Lady was murdered.

His wounds were still fresh, even with the passing of time. Absolutely it was the hardest time for him. He would have gone mad if not for his uncle and son there to lead him. Hearing the heartbreaking news from his most trusted friend and lieutenant sent him into the deep depths of hell itself.

Jee had run into the throne room with blood and tears all over him, and Zuko had the most utmost concern running to his friend and trying to calm him. But, after hearing his words, Zuko was no longer himself.

"It's...Katara-" Jee tried to take in a deep breath as his tears were flowing like a waterfall. "S-She...was murdered just moments ago." His body was shaking uncontrollably as he described the events.

Slowly, in shock, Zuko received his wife's bloody betrothal necklace as he sank to the floor in front of his Council. He stared straight ahead, his eyes swimming with tears.

As Zuko thinks of the tragic day he found himself walking to his and her favorite pond. Shrugging, he sat and watched the turtleducks.

"Dad?"

He looked up to find his only son standing in the entrance to the secluded area."Yes, Takero?"

"...You miss her don't you?" The Fire Lord smiled faintly as Takero sat next to him. He never missed a thing. Just like his mother. "Yes. Very much."

Takero moved his hair out of his eyes to look at Zuko. He never liked wearing his topknot. Zuko enjoyed his company. He acted so much like his mother. Takero looked almost exactly like Katara save for the gold eyes and pale skin. "I miss Mom also. I miss her bedtime stories." The little prince hugged his knees and his eyes swamed with tears as he stared into the water.

He was struck with sadness as he watched tears fall down Takero's face. They were both suffering. Father and son had stayed in the Fire Lord's chambers for an entire week in mourning as they shared stories and tears. No one dared to disturb them no matter the problems happening in the Fire Nation.

"Takero..it's alright. You shouldn't hide your pain. Your uncle told me that." He paused as the prince rubbed at his face. "Even though your mother would not want us being like this, it is sometimes okay to once and awhile let everything go. But just remember, she is always with you." Zuko moved closer to his son and opened his arms. Takero quickly moved into his father's chest as they both cried.

Hours later, Zuko had put the prince to bed and was now walking back to his chambers. Memories filled his senses as he came to a pillar and touched it lightly. He smiled as he remembered pressing Katara into it and kissing her passionately as he tried to convince her to not attend a party. Of course he didn't get his way. _She was such a tease..._ Zuko sighed and continued walking.

Nodding to his guards stationed in front of his door, he waved them off duty. Finally coming into his chambers he walked to his bedroom and discarded his royal robes leaving him in only his pants. It was pitch black in his rooms from which Zuko didn't understand why as he always a sconce or candle had lit. Too lazy to light anything, he walked blindly into his sitting area and-

-tripped over the side table.

"Dammit!" Zuko extricated himself from the belongings he brought with him to the floor and stood, lighting the fireplace with a growl.

As the fire illuminated his chamber, he realized he was not alone.

There, sat someone with their shoulders slumped and hands held together nervously on their lap. Zuko looked upon the said person and his eyes widened.

"It's good to see you, my _lord._" The person's shoulders shook as they laughed softly.

He staggered back a step. _It couldn't be..._ He had not heard that voice for over a year...

"...Katara?" Disbelief rode through his voice.

Finally, she turned and he caught sight of her beautiful blue eyes, swimming with tears of her own. Slowly, she brought herself up from the couch and walked toward him.

Zuko was frozen in place. Was he dreaming? Crazy? Seeing ghosts? This was impossible...

Katara was wearing a simple red tunic and pants. Her thick brown hair flowed freely down her back in long waves. He noticed how tired she looked and her eyes held a deep suffering inside them.

She drew in a ragged breath. "Hi..."

Zuko continued to stare at her with confusion and pain as his main features. Minutes went by until the firebender lifted his hand and reached out and touched her face. Visibly, the waterbender shivered and leaned into his touch. _She's really here. _

He drew her in and held her to his chest for what seemed like hours. "Ow. Zuko, I can't breathe!" He released her infinitesimally but still held her to him. "What...happened?" His voice broke for the thousandth time.

Katara sighed and pulled away to wipe at her face and look at him. Her hand was shaking as she removed the saltwater from her copper cheeks. The Fire Lady swallowed. "Can we sit down? I'm really tired..." Zuko guided her to the couch and took her into his arms. "What happened?" he repeated.

Snuggling into her husband, she spoke in hushed tones. "Jee and I...we were getting you and Takero birthday presents since your birthdays are only a day apart and while we were walking through an alley-deserted of course-I felt a pulse on the roof but I was to late...The next thing I know I'm shot. Three arrows in me." Burying her head into Zuko's shoulder she cried harder. "I was so scared...Jee was freaking out and I was losing a lot of blood...It was horrible. I knew I was dying so...I gave Jee my necklace to give to you and asked him to carry me to the ocean. He tried to protest but I made him promise." Zuko held her tighter. "Jee took the arrows out of me-but I couldn't feel it-and took me to the ocean. The minute my skin touched the water I...died." She drew in a shaky breath but it caught in her throat causing her to hiccup. She could feel her husband's tears drop into her hair. After what seemed like days, Zuko spoke.

"How...?"

"I went to Yue. She smiled and we talked but then she said it was not my time. That I had to go back. I wasn't finished. It's probably the worst experience being shot back into your body. I came to the surface seeing the beach was deserted and healed myself. It took awhile because of the extent of my injuries but then I walked off the beach..."

Zuko's brow furrowed. He extricated himself from his wife and stared down at her. "And you didn't come back? Do you know what hearing those words had done to us? How much the two of us still suffer? Did you care?" Katara flinched as Zuko whispered. It hurt her more looking at his calm but tense stature. She stood and walked to the fireplace. "Of course I did. Why wouldn't I? It was horrible to not be able to walk back to my home and prove I was not dead. It nearly destroyed me." She shivered wishing he would hold her again.

"What do you mean 'not being able to'? Zuko took deep breaths as his temper rose along with the fire in the fireplace. Katara did not flinch.

"I had the kill those assassins," she said simply.

Fire Lord Zuko stared at her astounded. "_What?_ Katara why? How was that more important than coming back to your family? Revenge is never the answer," he said.

Katara sighed and turned back to him. "I located my assassins pulse from memory and when I found him..." She hesitated, closing her eyes as the tears came harder. "...I overheard him getting a new assignment...To assassinate you and Takero."

Zuko's eyes widened. He rushed over to her and put both his arms around her waist. "Oh Agni Katara...What did you do?" He whispered into her neck.

She held onto him for dear life. "I followed him and his boss to a camp. I killed them and others with my bloodbending. Some escaped so I had to chase them down...I killed the last one two nights ago." Sobbing she collapsed fully into his arms. "You don't know how painful it's been for me! I had to travel everywhere and kill and kill! I hated it but they all were a part of the assignment...I had to wipe them out."

"Shhh. It's alright. Your here. I'm here. Your home now." He put his hand under her chin to raise her head and kissed her slowly with all he had. "I thought I had lost you forever..."

Katara melted into his arms and slowly pulled away. "That's because you believed the _maya._"


	2. Chapter 2

**ATTENTION:** Maya 3 is almost finished though it will probably be set back 6 more months because of some unexpected complications. My deepest apologies.

-Gina

* * *

The sun slowly rose over the horizon with each minute as Fire Lord Zuko lay in his bed. With a smile, he opened his gold eyes and moved to hold his Fire Lady in his arms. Blindly, he reached for her and-

-found no one there.

In an instant, Zuko shot up from his bed. He scanned the bedroom but found nothing to show of Katara's recent existence. Throwing off his sheets, he ran to the door and threw it open, hoping to see his loving wife sitting by the table and watching the ocean through their balcony.

She wasn't there.

"Katara?" He yelled as he checked the bathroom. There was no sign of her.

Zuko threw on a robe and opened his glorious front doors sharply. Running down the hallway, servants and guards stared at him curiously but he acted as if they did not exist. He had to find Katara. Rushing to his office he opened the doors and looked through the extremely large room. Nothing was different from when he left it the night before. In frustration, he turned to run to their pond.

On his way, he found his uncle walking in the opposite direction with tea in his hands and a smile on his face. "Uncle!" He grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him behind a pillar.

"Nephew, is something the matter? You look like you've gone mad." Iroh looked at the Fire Lord anxiously.

"What? No, Uncle. I'm fine. Listen I have to tell you something." A smile broke out across Zuko's face and Iroh was taken aback.

"What is it?" The old Dragon of the West had not seen his nephew smile ever since Lady Katara had passed..he took a sip of his tea.

Zuko looked both ways and peered around the corner to see if anyone was listening in on their conversation and then slowly came back to his uncle. "...Katara's alive. And she's here."

Iroh dropped his tea cup to the floor and his eyes widened. "What? Zuko, are you sure?"

Zuko became confused. "Of course I know. She came to my chambers last night." He hesitated. "But..."

"But, what?"

"I don't know where she is..." For the first time this morning, doubt flashed across his face. "Help me find her?"

In two hours, Iroh and Zuko had gone through the whole palace and had found no sign of Katara. Every possible place was looked upon by the two and they found none. They were finally in the Fire Lord's chambers.

"Zuko...she's not here. Why do you think she was?" Iroh sat across from his nephew as he drank more of his Ginseng tea. He could tell within the hours that the Fire Lord had grew more and more worried. He did not answer.

"My nephew...I think..you just had a dream." The said firebender's head snapped up as he glared at his uncle. He started to speak but Iroh fixed him with a look. "Look around, my nephew. The side of her bed is the same as she left it over a year ago, her clothes have not been touched, neither her vanity. She would have used these things already and would've been there when you had woken up. You must accept that she is not here. That she is..." Iroh could not finish his sentence as a tear dropped into his tea.

"_Excuse me?_ I've told you what she had said. It's not a dream! How could I have dreamed _that_? I felt her in my arms! Tasted her tears and kisses! That was not a dream!" Fire Lord Zuko stood as he stared angrily at his uncle. The temperature rose around him.

Calmly, the Dragon of the West sipped his tea once, set it down, and slowly rose from his seat. "You know well enough to not raise your voice against me. Which one of us has lived longer the other? Who has been to the Spirit World and back? Hmmm? I am much wiser than you are and you should take my opinions into consideration. Don't you think differently just because you have a crown atop of your head."

The two firebenders stared each other down for minutes. One calm and the other red in the face. Without another word Zuko walked to his front door, opened it, and shut it with a slam that made the picture of he, Katara, and Takero fall to the floor.

With yet another slam, Zuko entered his office. And with frustration as his main emotion, he picked up a simple red vase and threw it at a wall. Picking up yet another object, blue caught his eye. He looked to his hand saw a picture. No. His wedding picture. Staring, he caught sight of Katara's happy expression and remembered how beautiful she looked in her light blue and gold wedding dress as he kissed her passionately. Looking to himself he saw the happiness there that he knew he would never feel again...Tears came to his eyes as he sat in his chair and set the picture on his desk.

"Oh Katara...Why couldn't have it been real?" Yes, Zuko finally realized it was just a dream...

Raising his hand, he brought his fingers to reach Katara's face...

And he was surrounded in darkness.

Zuko awoke to find himself surrounded in black. Bringing himself into a sitting position he brought his hand up to light a small fire in his palm. But none came.

Growling, he concentrated more on the fire but again as he stared where he thought his hand was, no change came. "Where the hell am I?"

In an instant, Zuko was surrounded with a white light. He turned his head as a silhouette appeared in what seemed the center of the aura. Slowly, the silhouette became a woman with white hair and beautiful golden robes as she practically floated and landed in front of Zuko.

"Hello, Fire Lord." The Moon Spirit smiled at Zuko's surprised expression.

"...Your...Yue. Right?" Zuko looked dumbfounded.

Yue laughed a small laugh and nodded her head. "Come. I must show you something." She turned her back and walked not waiting to see if the firebender followed. Zuko awkwardly got up and ran to Yue's retreating form. "Where am I? Why can't I bend?"

"Your in the Spirit World, Zuko. I'm surprised you haven't figured it out already. Katara spoke of you as a smarter person." Yue turned to smile at her friends husband but saw he had stopped in his tracks. "Is something the matter, Fire Lord?"

Zuko was shocked. _She's really dead..._ He would never be able to hold his wife in his arms again...He composed himself enough to ask the Moon Spirit his question he had been dieing to ask. "..Are you taking me to Katara..? Is she here?"

Yue sighed as she looked upon the firebenders pain stricken face. "No. She is not. But what I am to show you involves her." She turned to face him fully. "Why must firebenders be so pigheaded? You people never look into things. All of you are stuck in the _maya._ I thought that dream I had sent you would have been enough to bring you into reality but I guess not."

Zuko stared at her with wide eyes. "_You_ sent me that dream? Why?"

Yue shook her head. "You know it's really a simple answer but I guess you'll need some help. And Katara said you were aware of this subject? Tsk, tsk." Walking over a river, she sat upon a great root of a tree. Zuko clumsily followed. "The dream was to show you that Katara is very much alive but she needs your help. Every part of that dream is true. She is hunting assassins but has not finished. If you do not help her with this last man...she will die." The great Moon Spirit waited patiently as Zuko absorbed the information. Finally he spoke.

"Where is she?"

Smiling, Yue stood and walked toward the river and motioned Zuko to join her. With a wave of her hand, the water started to formed a sort of mirror. It looked as if ice was the main feature but tinted in gold, and matching the same color of Yue's robes. Designs flowed starting from the top and surrounding the mirror as if in waves. She picked it up and held it to her with the mirror facing Zuko. "Look closely. Concentrate."

Slowly, an image started to appear starting from the center of the mirror and striking out toward the edges. As Zuko came forward he saw how familiar the vision was. The green crystals...the river..

"The crystal catacombs?"

Yue nodded. "Now. Do not talk. Pay attention to every detail."

Zuko stared intently at the mirror. A second later, a figure ran through an entrance, flinging fire behind his shoulder. The man stopped a ways and took a stance. Zuko knew what would happen next. He watched the entrance the man had come from and just as quickly, the waterbender came running in.

Katara stared the assassin down and with a smirk drew her water. She sent a great wave at him and even though he blocked it with his fire, it knocked him into the water behind him. Fire Lady Katara froze the whole river with a flick of her hand and ran to the man. Zuko saw how the assassin smiled broadly and melted the water within seconds, jumping to his feet and sending a ball of fire toward his wife. Zuko wanted to kill him. And maybe he could.

Quickly drawing his attention back to Katara, he saw how she jumped back and drew more of her water. Sweat was running down her brow as she hit him with another wave. This time the firebender blocked it effectively.

_She's getting tired.._ Zuko thought.

After a while of bending, the two opponents resulted to hand-to-hand combat. Zuko gripped the mirror, growing with tension as if he were watching a movie and acting as if he were fighting the assassin. Moving as he anticipated what he would do from his blow. He could tell Katara had gotten better at fighting without her bending but not as much as the assassin. She delivered a blow to his jaw and he staggered back maybe two feet but then brought a blow to her left shoulder, causing Katara to turn and wince.

Then, Zuko saw something Katara had not.

The assassin drew a knife.

And as Katara turned back to punch him in the face-

-he stabbed her in the abdomen.

"Katara!" Tears flowed down Zuko's face as he watched his wife crumple to the floor. The assassin dragged his Fire Lady away from the water, then left.

The mirror went black.

Zuko fell to his knees and scowled at the ground. He drew in deep breaths as tears rolled down his cheeks. For minutes he stayed that way, then brought his face up to meet Yue's. She was crying as well.

"You must save her. This is her fate unless you interfere. If she dies...then I cannot send her back." Yue leaned down and brought Zuko up to his feet. "Now you must go. Leave once you go back. Tell your uncle where you are going but that is all. Do not let him stop you."

Wiping at his face Zuko nodded. "How much time do I have?"

"Three weeks. You must leave immediately if you wish to save her." The Moon Spirit stared into Zuko's gold eyes . "Goodbye, Zuko. Please hurry." She started to lift off of the ground, rising higher.

"Wait! Can I ask you one more thing?" Zuko covered his eyes with his arm because of the light emanating from the beautiful sprit.

Yue looked down and sighed. "Just one. What is it?"

"...What is a _maya_?"

The Moon Spirit laughed. "A _maya_ is an illusion. Your world lives in the illusion where as my world lives in the reality. Only a select few discards the veil of illusion to view reality. Katara is one of them..Iroh also. You must always have faith, Zuko. I can tell you are wise but you must learn. You should listen to your wife more often." She smiled. "Now go. You're wasting time. Goodbye, Fire Lord Zuko." And with that, a great light shot throughout the Spirit World and Zuko was once again surrounded in darkness.


End file.
